Disclaimer: the characters, places and events that you recognize in this or any other chapter belong to John Flanagan and in part his publishers. This is not the place for the debate.
Warning: Allegedly, only the first four books have been published thus far in America, if you do live in America then note that I, an Australian, have read all of the books up until number eight, this story is set after the eighth book finishes. It may spoil the books for you
I'm sure you've heard of the great Will Treaty, Kings Ranger, saviour of Araluen, Scandia, Celtica and everywhere else you can think of. If so I'm equally sure that you would be surprised to learn that I knew him. He was the only one who could ever find me at hide-and-seek. Because, you see I am also a castle ward of the Baron Arald at Redmont Castle.
I have been for nearly fifteen years. My people are carni folk and when my mother fell pregnant to the-good-lord-only-knows-who she carried me full term. After she'd birthed the baby she returned to work, and died two months later due to poor hygiene during labour and her body was too tired and malnourished to fight the disease.
My extended family passed through Redmont fief less than a week after her death and I was left in the care of Baron Arald.
My mother had called me Kathryn, when Baron Arald's man insisted that they give me a second name, as he had enough nameless children as it was and he wasn't keen to gain another.
So they called me Hope, which had been my mother's stage name. And so it was the castle gained another young charge.
I used to know Will well enough. Every Sunday afternoon, after church was finished, the Baron approved of children playing games. Hide-and-seek was one of his favourites, and even the smallest child can be pushed into a hidey hole and told to stay quiet until they are found.
I learnt quite quickly that people very rarely look up. So at the age of three I taught myself to climb, I was pleased to discover that it was something I did remarkably well for one so small, scaling trees was something that came naturally. If my little finger could find leverage then I could hoist myself up well above the eye level of the tallest boys. I was a very competitive hide-and-seeker.
I would often be one of the last to be found, after I had shuffled back down the tree so no-one learnt my secret.
It wasn't until well after my fourth birthday that I realised that Will knew my trick, he was thirteen at the time so he had probably taught himself and mastered the trick long before I was born.
I didn't really see him again after he left to become a ranger, I mean you'd see him from a distance sitting still as a mouse trying to be invisible wrapped in his Rangers cloak the cowl hung so low over his face that you could barely tell it was him. Then his appearance became more and more erratic, until it was such that if you claimed to see him you would be accused of lying through you teeth.
Until this year, the year of my choosing. Reports... well gossip, claims that Will is starting an elite force of Rangers to be based here in Redmont fief.
For my choosing I am limited to the diplomatic services, cooking or becoming a seamstress. This is of course unbelievably stupid, if a woman can be queen in her own right then this woman can do something slightly less mind-numbingly dull. My first choice happens to be the stables, I can ride tolerably well and horses respond quite well to me and my carni blood. I wouldn't, however, enjoy an apprenticeship at the farriers. If that is refused then I believe I would prefer farming, but then again, farm women are meant to cook and clean and milk goats and cows. No actually I do not want to be a farm hand. Right then my second choice shall have to be battleschool. I had a sweetheart up until quite recently who was a battle school apprentice. He was constantly complaining about the obstacle course but I snuck in one morning to watch him and his year mates complete it, it didn't look that hard so after they'd
all gone in for breakfast I dropped down from my position perched on the battlements to attempt it. Some one came out while I was half way finished and I was almost caught. I ended up hanging by one arm for what felt like hours, but was actually just a few minutes.
Plus I would like to learn to use a sword properly, Richard did teach me a bit, but I'm not terribly good and training under a professional would help me to improve. It's a bit like a baton; you pick up a stick and twirl it around. And call it art.
But now I really need to sleep, tomorrow will probably be the most important date in my life so far. Mine and the two others with whom I have shared my time at Castle Redmont.
The two others perhaps they should be introduced before I go to sleep. Robert is the son of a noble, so he needn't really take up a craft, he could simply return to his ancestral home and live out his days in luxury. His father passed away years ago, four to be precise, and Robert chose to spend the time at the castle because the Baron was a friend of his fathers. All his families' affairs are being attended to by Lady Pauline, who was a friend of his mothers, who died when Robert was just three in a riding accident. So he may opt to spend the next few years at the Scribeschool I've seen him speaking to some of the senior scribes and lawyers recently.
Ava is a petite girl, she only comes to my shoulder and I stand at the pitiful height of five foot six. Strangely she gives the appearance of being willowy even though she is small in stature. She was five when she began her time as a castle ward, her pale blonde almost white hair reached almost to her feet, it still did until recently, now it wisps around in dainty curls down to the small of her back. I suspect she is considering the diplomatic services. She'd do well there, unfortunately the white robes would only add to the appearance of the Fey about her. Oh I know they aren't real, but the circumstances about Ava's arrival are more than a little strange, she just walked up to the Castle one day and never told anyone where she was from. No-one could recall anything about a missing child anywhere in the fief or in any of the surrounding fiefs.
And now to bed.
A.N. Hello all who made their way through the first chapter, well done, you deserve a pat on the back, if you feel that my writing deserves a pat on the back as well then please leave it in a review. If you hated it then leave that in a review as well.
Peace and Love
Rhoddy
